Thirty eight JO MPs to boycott convention

By Uditha Kumarasinghe

UPFA Ratnapura District MP Ranjith de Zoysa said, all 38 SLFP MPs in the Joint Opposition (JO) have decided to boycott the SLFP Convention in Kurunegala today. The SLFP MPs in the JO had taken the final decision after consulting the Bala Mandalas in their respective electorates.

The Bala Mandalas in the electorates represented by the SLFP MPs in the JO were unanimous in requesting their MPs not to attend the party convention, MP Zoysa told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

Asked to comment on the SLFP General Secretary Minister Duminda Dissanayake’s remarks that it was absurd to depend on the Bala Mandala decision not to attend the convention, MP Zoysa said, during the entire history of the SLFP all key political decisions in the electorate were taken after consulting the Bala Mandalas and we too have followed suit in this instance.

UPFA Matara District MP Dullas Alahapperuma told the Sunday Observer that following the decision reached at the Bala Mandalas, the SLFP MPs in the JO decided to boycott the 65th SLFP convention based on three reasons. The reasons are: to protest against the pro-UNP policy adopted by the party hierarchy to collaborate with the UNP; oppose the character assassination of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa; and the dire need to put the party on the right course.

He said, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the fifth SLFP leader and fifth Executive President of the country. Therefore, insulting former President Rajapaksa means insulting the party’s fifth leader and country’s fifth President as well.

MP Alahapperuma said, they took this decision at this 65 th anniversary of the SLFP to prevent it from becoming a branch of ‘Sirikotha’, the UNP headquarters, when it celebrates its 66 th anniversary.